Subclinical Vitamin C Plasma Levels Associated with Increased Risk of CAD Diagnosis via Inflammation: Results from the NHANES 2003-2006 Surveys

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 15; no. 3; p. 584
• Main Authors: Crook, Jennifer M, Yoon, Saun-Joo L, Grundmann, Oliver, Horgas, Ann, Johnson-Mallard, Versie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 22.01.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Age; Angina pectoris; Ascorbic Acid; Atherosclerosis; Blood; C-reactive protein; CAD; Cardiovascular disease; Complications and side effects; Coronary artery disease; Coronary Artery Disease - diagnosis; Coronary Artery Disease - epidemiology; Coronary heart disease; Coronary vessels; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Cross-Sectional Studies; Development and progression; Diagnosis; Disease control; Epigenetics; Health risks; Heart attacks; heart disease; Heart diseases; Humans; Hypertension; Immune system; Inflammation; Inflammation - complications; Medical laboratories; Nutrient deficiency; Nutrition; Nutrition Surveys; nutritional surveillance; Pandemics; Physiological aspects; Plasma; Plasma levels; Polls & surveys; Quality control; Questionnaires; Risk Factors; Signs and symptoms; Smoking; Surveys; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Vein & artery diseases; Vitamin C; Vitamin C deficiency; Vitamin deficiency; Vitamins; United States; United States > US; inflammation; nutritional surveillance; vitamin C; heart disease; CAD
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu15030584

Vitamin C remains an important, yet frequently unassessed, component of a healthy immune system though it may prove useful in alleviating the chronic inflammatory processes underlying chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease (CAD). Recent research identified a sizeable proportion of the United States population with insufficient vitamin C plasma levels and significant associations to both acute and chronic inflammation. This cross-sectional study used the 2003-2006 NHANES surveys data to extrapolate associations between plasma vitamin C levels (deficiency, hypovitaminosis, inadequate, adequate, and saturating) and CAD through inflammation (C-reactive protein and red cell distribution width). Increased reports of CAD diagnosis were identified in participants with vitamin C deficiency (OR: 2.31, CI: 1.49-3.58) and inadequate plasma levels (OR: 1.39, CI: 1.03-1.87). No significant correlation was identified between any other plasma vitamin C quintiles and CAD. When inflammation was controlled, previous associations in the deficient level of plasma vitamin C were no longer significant in association with CAD and participants with inadequate plasma vitamin C showed a reduced association to CAD diagnoses (OR: 0.33, CI: 0.13-0.86). Most chronic inflammation and vitamin C plasma statuses do not demonstrate specific signs or symptoms until the deficient level of vitamin C and/or disease. Thus, increased surveillance of both, and healthy nutritional habits remain crucial modifiable risk factors for disease prevention.